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Perceptual decoupling is an attentional mechanism that helps us maintain an internalfocus by disengaging attention from external, sensory information. Evidence for it can beseen in eye behavior, with several ocular parameters being indicative of internal versusexternal attention focus. Previous findings showed that voluntary eye movements are affectedby internal task performance, with a higher reliance on shared cognitive resources resulting ina higher degree of perceptual decoupling. However, it remains unclear whether this effectextends to reflexive eye behavior, which may not share cognitive resources with internalactivities. Therefore, the present study examined whether internal attention affects thepupillary light response (PLR). We induced PLR by a sudden increase in luminance duringthe performance of an internal task, which varied in modality (arithmetic vs. visuospatial) andworkload. We found that the PLR was not affected (e.g., attenuated) by internal attentionacross internal tasks, and workload-related increases in pupil diameter even appeareddiminished during the PLR. These findings suggest that perceptual decoupling effects may belimited to voluntary eye behavior and do not extend to reflexive eye behavior.

Attached as a SupplementPlease also note the supplement to this comment: http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/acp-2016-72/acp-2016-72-SC1-supplement.pdfInteractive comment on Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss.,

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